In South Africa, the parents of both bride and groom traditionally carried fire from their hearths to light a new fire in the newlyweds' hearth.

Queen Victoria started the Western world's white wedding dress trend in 1840 -- before then, brides simply wore their best dress.

In English tradition, Wednesday is considered the "best day" to marry, although Monday is for wealth and Tuesday is for health.

In Holland, a  pine tree can be planted outside the newlyweds' home as a symbol of fertility and luck.

A Finnish  bride traditionally went door-to-door collecting gifts in a pillowcase, accompanied by an older married man who represented long  marriage.

The tradition of tying tin cans to the back of the newlywed's vehicle originated as a device, which would produce noise to scare away evil spirits.

A Swedish bride puts a silver coin from her father and a gold coin from her mother in each shoe to ensure that she'll never do without.

The "something blue" in a bridal ensemble symbolizes purity, fidelity, and  love.

For good luck, Egyptian women pinch the bride on her wedding day.

Eating rice and other grains was thought to guarantee health, wealth and happiness for the newlywed.

The tradition  of a wedding cake comes from ancient Rome, where revelers broke a loaf  of bread over a bride's head for fertility's sake.

Feeding each other the cake symbolizes how the couple will "feed" and nourish one another in the marriage.

One of the oldest wedding traditions, the custom of throwing rice, originated with the ancient Hindus and Chinese. In these cultures, rice is the symbol of fruitfulness and prosperity. Tossing it after the ceremony was believed to bestow fertility upon the bride and groom.

Legend says single women will dream of their future husbands if they sleep with a slice of groom's cake under their pillows.

Rain on your wedding day is actually considered good luck, according to Hindu tradition.

The English believe a spider found in a wedding dress means good luck.

Brides carry or wear "something old" on their wedding day to symbolize continuity with the past.

The custom of tiered cakes emerged from a game where the bride and groom attempted to kiss over an ever-higher cake without knocking it over.

The bride stands to the groom's left during a Christian ceremony, because in bygone days the groom needed his right hand free to fight off other suitors.

For ancient Greeks and Romans, the bouquet was a pungent mix of garlic and herbs or grains. The garlic was supposed to ward off evil spirits and the herbs or grains were to insure a fruitful union.

Peas are thrown at Czech newlyweds instead of rice.

Middle Eastern brides paint henna on their hands and feet to protect themselves from the evil eye.

The first kiss a bride and groom share at the close of the ceremony has carried special significance through the centuries.

Many cultures believed that the couple exchanged spirits with their breath and part of their souls were exchanged as well.

In many cultures around the world -- including Celtic, Hindu and Egyptian weddings -- the hands of a bride and groom are literally tied together to demonstrate the couple's commitment to each other and their new bond as a married couple (giving us the popular phrase "tying the knot").

The groom carries the bride across the threshold to bravely protect her from evil spirits lurking below.

Engagement and wedding rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because it was once thought that a vein in that finger led directly to the heart.

In the symbolic language of jewels, a sapphire in a wedding ring means marital happiness.